U.S. tests formerly banned missile

The U.S. military on Sunday launched a missile that was forbidden by a treaty until earlier this month. The Pentagon said it tested a modified version of a Navy Tomahawk cruise missile armed with a conventional warhead off the California coast. It flew more than 310 miles and struck its target with precision.

What changed? The flight test was the first since Russia and the United States let the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty expire on Aug. 2. The agreement banned missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,410 miles—an assurance that Russia could not target U.S. allies in Europe and vice versa. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called Sunday’s test an “escalation of military tensions.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry added the move could trigger “a new round of arms race.”

Dig deeper: Also this month, Russia conducted a mysterious nuclear test that killed at least five people.